Many growing students do not arrive at school with enthusiasm to learn. Sometimes their families face financial crises and live in small quarters, making it difficult to focus on school. While their parents work long shifts, the responsibilities of cooking and looking after younger siblings lie on their small shoulders. Domestic violence and abuse are also not surprising in society.
To help traumatized students overcome their academic and personal challenges, one of the jobs of a teacher is to create a sense of community within the classroom. Teachers need to assure students that they care and they welcome them into the classroom as they are. Creative writing is the medium that allows teachers to connect with their students while cultivating their academic skills.
For students, teachers must create a safe and respectful environment where students can share their stories without fearing anything. Students acknowledge that nobody’s life is perfect, and this is how they are willing to take the necessary risks to learn and become more resilient. Learn more about the benefits of creative writing from Felicity Stone Toronto.
● Nurturing a Growth Mindset
One of the ways that students can enhance their resilience and improve their academic performance is through a development mentality. Experts suggest that individuals with the growth mindset focus on learning from their mistakes and eagerly accept challenges instead of believing that their failures doom them.
The growth goes together with treating yourself with kindness and compassion. Encouraging students to navigate their creative side towards creative writing would strengthen their resilience.
● Asking Questions & Curiosity
Well, who does not know that a child at the age of 5 asks at least 120 questions a day? That’s a lot of questions! Meanwhile, a 40 years old adult asks four questions per day. Well, encourage your students to be more curious about things and ask as many questions as they want, just like kids.
Asking questions will generate new ideas for creative writing. The habit of asking questions would help them whenever they work on challenging topics.
● Practice Kindness
A child must learn to think about themselves in various ways. They should adopt the habit of self-love and also love others. One can direct their inner creativity towards giving kindness, love, peace, and many other positive attributes. Don’t forget to check Felicity Stone Toronto about practicing kindness in the classroom.
● Maintaining a Pleasant Outlook
Another way to preserve resilience in the face of challenges is to gear up our inner reserves of hope. Poetry can be a fantastic medium for this purpose. Teachers use template poems where students can fill blanks with their thoughts. Poetry is loaded with emotion; writing poems will help them meet their wild inner lives.
Conclusion
To know more about the benefits of creative writing, teachers let their students rate their resilience through a self-evaluation survey. As a teacher, it must be your goal to join hands with students where they stand in their lives and take them forward with kindness and compassion. Through creative writing exercises in the classroom, a community of empathetic, and communicative young learners is created who witness the impact of trauma on their classmates and build resilience together.